“Any luck locating Andretti?” he asks Gio.
“Not yet,” Gio says.
I wasn’t aware that we were looking for him. I suppose there are still things my father is keeping from me. Leave it up to the two of them to conduct nefarious business while scoping out the city for their greatest rival.
“He’s not going to show his face,” I theorize. “He’s a coward. That letter is meaningless.”
“It means a lot,” my father corrects me. “It means he’s here. It means he somehow knows that Marlena’s pregnant.”
“But it doesn’t mean that he has the capacity to attack us,” I insist.
“I talked to a few of his known associates,” Edoardo reports.
“And?” my father asks.
“Nobody knows where he is,” the head of security replies.
“Did you lean on them?” my dad wonders.
“Of course,” Edoardo replies. I’m coming to realize that ‘lean on them’ can mean all kinds of things, including broken bones and missing teeth.
The meeting drags on longer than I expected. Edoardo goes into gory details about what he did to each of Andretti’s men. He gives my father a word-by-word report of everything they said, even though none of it is remotely helpful.
“I’m gonna get that bastard,” my father swears repeatedly.
Uncle Gio doesn’t fill him in on any of the meetings we had today. It seems like he doesn’t want to bother the don with trivial details when Carlo Andretti has finally come out of hiding. My father’s whole focus at the moment is on finding and neutralizing the threat. Nothing else holds his interest.
After almost an hour, I’m feeling restless. I want to get up and move around. But I know my father well enough to remain anchored in my seat. It’s not worth the grief I would incur if I were to interrupt his thought process.
I tap my finger on my knee, doing my best to cage the beast pounding on the inside of my chest. I’m not ready for this kind of responsibility. And I still have to study tonight. Not a day goes by when I don’t crack a book for at least an hour. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane. If I can hold on to the dream of becoming a lawyer, then all the grunt work I’m doing for my father will be worth it. I don’t necessarily want to step into his shoes, but I can’t see a way out. Yet.
“Are you paying attention?” my father asks.
I glance up, suddenly aware of the attention my fidgeting has acquired. “Of course,” I reply, lying instinctively because I’d never tell my father that he’s boring me.
He sighs, glancing at his watch. “It’s late.”
I keep my mouth shut, knowing that I can’t excuse myself. I have to wait until my father feels like this conversation is over to begin the long night ahead. Finally, he slams a palm down on the desk. Edoardo, Gio, and I flinch. Nobody in this room is in danger. We’re all high-level executives in a business empire that my father runs. He’s not going to shoot any of us or hurt us. But still, his anger is unsettling. I’m glad I’m not Carlo Andretti. I wonder if the man knows what kind of sleeping giant he’s woken up now that he’s threatened my father’s offspring.
“Go to sleep,” he tells me.
“Thank you,” I say, getting up before he changes his mind. I nod to Gio before slipping out the door. Sleep would be awesome, but unfortunately that’s not on the agenda right now.
I stop by the kitchen to grab a snack before heading upstairs. The cook has left some delicious-looking lasagna in the fridge, so I help myself to a slice. I grab a fork, thinking I’ll eat it cold. It’ll be just as good, and I won’t have to waste time waiting in front of the microwave.
In my room, I set my dinner down. I want to change before I do anything. Getting out of my gangster clothes makes me feel like a real person again. I choose sweatpants and a hoodie because I’m not going anywhere. I might as well be comfortable if I have to stay up until midnight studying.
I grab my computer and sit down at my desk. Opening the laptop, I call up the bar exam website. They’ve posted more questions today, which is good. That’s what I pay for, a constant stream of study material that’s almost guaranteed to help me pass. If I can just learn all the concepts and apply them to my life, I’ll be set.
I think about what I did today and how it would look to a jury. Luckily, Gio rarely beats anyone up. He leaves that kind of thing to Dante and the other soldiers. But money changed hands nearly nine times today, between people and companies that have no business working together.
I might not be a lawyer yet, but I’m keeping score. I might as well go into my new life with open eyes. Already, I’ve committed multiple felonies, and I’m just getting started. I consider my love affair with Sofia, and worry that I’m going to hurt her. She’s a sweet girl, and she doesn’t deserve a boyfriend who’s in jail.
I munch on the lasagna as I read through all the case law in front of me. I’m juggling a lot of balls here. If any of them fall, I’ll be in a world of hurt. But I’m trapped. I can’t say no to my father, and I don’t want to break it off with Sofia. So, I’m straddling the divide between worlds, hoping to avoid catastrophe. It’s consuming all my energy, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up.
CHAPTER 20
SOFIA
